Circulation of objects, people, and technical knowledge in the Salado River Wetland, Argentina

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses a series of innovations and particular traits that have a low presence in the ceramic assemblages of the Salado River (Buenos Aires, Argentina). We associate these traits with the material culture of the Guaraní groups, moving along fluvial and forest environments. In the cultural context of the hunter-gatherer-fishers of the Salado River micro-region, incorporating elements of the guaraní technological tradition entails the existence of scenarios of interaction with horticultural groups during the Late Holocene. Our research allows us to propose that these contacts probably began in the first millennium of our era, during the early southern expansion of the guaraní groups. The interaction between these groups involved wide exchange networks, which was reflected in the circulation and incorporation of goods, ideas, or people. We propose that these inter-group relations did not lead to structural, technological changes or variations, or to the displacement or elimination of the local groups.

Keywords
Hunters; Gatherers; Fishers; Technological traditions; Guarani pottery; Interaction networks